courses + events

We live in a time where the marriage of outer engagement and inner understanding is an essential feature of the movement toward an enlivening and equitable human presence on this earth. This retreat is an opportunity to explore this through slowing down and settling into a rhythm and quality of presence that supports us in remembering what is important, what nourishes us, what allows us to more freely bring ourselves to life.

This is a two week retreat with an emphasis on meditatively inhabiting the wild landscape which surrounds the Ecodharma Centre. It is part of our Nature Based Practice and Learning series. It brings meditation and mindfulness into relationship with wilderness immersion. It culminates with a 3 day solo period in the wild.

Our deepest nature is untameable. Yet, spending so much time living in a world constructed in service of a humanity, this can be hard to remember. So step out of the narrow dusty world for a while and meet the wild. Immersing ourselves in direct contact with wild nature, and deepening that connection through meditation, mindfulness, and reflection, can heal the wounds of alienation that are so present in our times. This helps us to re-connect with deeper aspects of ourselves and the world we inhabit – in a way that is enriching, empowering and transformative.

Today it can be difficult to ‘know’ our belonging in our bones. The cultures associated with the industrial growth society often lead us away from intimacy with the more-than-human world, yet it waits for us. This initiatory journey is an invitation to remember what we deeply belong to, what we have always belonged to.

This is a training for people who are awake to the needs and opportunities of our times. Effective and authentic transformation of self and the world necessarily go hand in hand. So, this event brings together a team of talented facilitators to offer tools that integrate the inner dimension of change with practical skills in organising, community building, and designing effective strategies for social transformation. It brings together the best in activist education with Dharma based practice in personal and interpersonal transformation.

Resilience is all about connection: Deeper connection with our self, deeper connections with each other, and deeper connection with nature.

Today we face immense challenges – social, ecological and political. We can be daunted by the scale and extent of the problems. We can feel overwhelmed and undermined. Where can we find the resilience and strength needed to meet them?

Deeper nature connection can be a source of nourishment, empowerment, and wisdom. It can help us to live fully present in our times. As the Shambala Mind Training Verses say: “Remember that you are the inheritor of the strengths of thousands of generations of life.” This course will help us to remember – to regain the power and nourishment that comes from recollecting who we are and what we are part of.

This training will be run by facilitators from the Ulex Project network.

This course will explore permaculture as a tool for designing communities and organisations. Social permaculture is about connection – between people, economies, and governing structures – and creating the conditions for humans to flourish on a societal level and to develop beneficial relationships with the ecosystems which sustain us.

This training will take place at our Ulex Project training centre, in the same area as the Ecodharma Centre. You can find full details of the course on the Ulex website.

The Eco-Dharma Centre is situated in a beautiful and wild part of the Catalan Pyrenees. We offer courses, events and retreats which support the realisation of our human potential and the development of an ecological consciousness honouring our mutual belonging within the web of life – drawing on the Buddhist Dharma and the emerging ecological paradigms of our time.Site developed by Nick Day.